


One day, I'll see you again

by aru



Category: Gintama
Genre: Sakagin - Freeform, gintama oc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 20:59:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18396254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aru/pseuds/aru
Summary: Etsuko meant the world to Sakamoto, but he had to leave his sister behind and join the war.





	One day, I'll see you again

“Nii-chan.”  
Etsuko was sitting on Sakamoto’s lap. Her face turned upwards, she was playing with his soft chocolate brown curls. Sakamoto wasn’t listening to her. His gaze was fixed somewhere far away, and he wore an expression of sadness mingled with something she just couldn’t place. Trepidation?  
She didn’t entirely understand why, but her elder brother had been on edge lately. Whenever she called him to play, she could tell that only half of his heart was in it. When he laughed, she knew it was not with mirth. Even when they were talking about the littlest things, Etsuko knew that he wasn't really listening. 

She tugged at a lock of his hair. “Nii-chan, listen to me!”  
Sakamoto sat up with a start. “Etsuko! sorry, I was spaced out.” 

Etsuko clicked her tongue-- his sudden movement had forced her to shift her position. “You’re always spaced out. You’ll probably end up in space, only the aliens will tolerate people who zone out as often as you,” saying this, she pouted and gave him the meanest expression she could, only to be met with his bright, warm smile. He ruffled her hair, which was exactly like his. Etsuko wasn’t all too fond of her hair, she thought it was too puffy and thick, but during times like these when it was her brother ruffling it, she didn’t mind it at all. Even so, she had to maintain her pride as the younger sibling. She swatted his hand aside and turned to face him.  
“What did they tell you? And why didn’t they let me listen? You have to tell me now!”  
Sakamoto looked at his kid sister. His mind was full of thoughts, he had been recollecting memories from the times that he had spent with her. Etsuko loved the nights on which the stars could be seen. On clear nights like those, they'd quietly make their way up to the roof and watch the skies. When they weren't stargazing, they were playing tricks on their parents, often getting heaps of scoldings from them. But it was worth it, because at they end of the day they could laugh about it together, under the constellations of the night. 

He brought himself back to the present. For the fear that he may shed a tear in front of his sister, who for a while now had been watching him carefully, he knocked her down in a playful manner. “What’re you so worried about, hm? It wasn’t anything serious Etsuko, come on. Mom was saying that you talk too much, and I have to discipline you, or you’ll end up like one of those really annoying hawkers who’re always trying to sell us cheap soba—guh! Why’d you kick me?!”  
Etsuko looked at him indignantly from the floor. “Should I punch you this time? in the gut again? I’m not a kid, nii-chan, I’m almost 13! What did they tell you?!”  
Sakamoto scratched the back of his head. It was too early to tell her, and besides, his parents had told him not to. His father had been especially particular about it—not that he felt any real inclination to listen to his father anyway, but he had to, otherwise he would be hit again. He flinched at the thought of that, and pulLed the sleeves of his kimono down further. Etsuko didn’t know about the bruises, and he wanted to keep it that way. If she did get to know and confronted their father about it, Sakamoto knew that the man would not hesitate to hit her too. He was unreasonable that way. With a sigh, he said, “I’ll tell you about it another day, I promise! Forget about it now, let’s go eat! Something smells good.”  
He got up and pulled her up as well. He didn’t have it in him to tell her that day, he didn’t want to have to come to terms with it. As he walked into the dining room with his right hand on his little sister’s shoulder, the words kept ringing in his head-  
“Tatsuma, you’re nothing but useless in Tosa. You don’t work hard enough, hell, you don’t work at all. I’m sending you to fight in the war, go make yourself of some use there. I don’t need a foolish son like you in our business at headquarters. And don't even bother roping your sister into this, she won't get you out of it no matter how hard she tries.”  
~*~

He was standing on the deck of the flagship when he saw her. The men were loading cargo into the surrounding vessels-- weapons, consumables and the like. The sword at his hip suddenly felt too heavy. He wasn't ready to leave.

“Nii-chan, won’t you say goodbye to me?” 

His sister’s shrill voice was carrying itself through the wind. Tears were stinging his eyes. Wiping them away with his sleeve, he turned to descend from the deck. It wasn't that he was afraid to fight in the war or anything, and he made a fairly good swordsman. He didn’t mind leaving his parents either, they were never too fond of him anyway, but he couldn’t get the image of his little sister out of his head. His Etsuko, who he’d often had to play the role of the father for.

When he got off the ship, he found her standing by the docks. She was puffy-eyed, but was smiling nevertheless. Not that he needed to point that out though, he knew he probably didn’t look too well off either. But he smiled for her anyway, because that is what a big brother would do.  
“Etsuko!,” he screamed in the most joyous way possible, and pulled her cheeks. And then she stomped on his foot, and then his screams were of pain. 

“Nii-chan, you’re too tall.”  
“Tsuko-chan, you’re too short.”  
He received a punch in the gut.  
“Nii-chan, before you go, I want to request something of you.”  
“I’m not going to find a boyfriend for you.”  
He received a kick in the shins.  
“Etsuko, you beat me up too much.”  
“Nii-chan, you deserve it.”

Sakamoto let out a loud laugh and propped himself on his knees to match his height with hers. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Etsuko, while I’m gone, you’re going to have to take care of them, okay? Everyone at home. And try not to make our parents angry. Can you do that for me?” 

“And while you’re not home, you’re going to have to be happier, nii-chan. I want you to laugh more, smile more, have fun more--” tears were welling up in her eyes, and their steel-blue colour made it look like the sky itself was about to pour. He let out a sigh and smiled. Wiping away her tears with his thumb, he said,  
“Tsuko, I can’t laugh about just anything, you know. I’m going to war.”  
“Home isn’t going to be much fun without you,” she replied. She looked at him and smiled. “When you’re not home, you’re supposed to smile and laugh twice as much, so that it will be both me and you laughing. Actually, you have to promise me you’ll laugh a lot more. You know that really obnoxious laughter I always hit you for? Well, I’m not going to be around to hit you now, so you have to promise me, you’re going to laugh as much as you can. Okay?” 

Sakamoto felt a tear drop roll down his cheek. 

“Okay, I will. But on one condition: you have to laugh obnoxiously with me right here and right now.”  
“What?"  
He ruffled her hair again, the way he knew she liked. “You wanted me to wish you goodbye, didn’t you?”  
She grinned. 

On the docks, minutes before departure, the rest of the men wondered why the merchant’s children were laughing so loudly.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I was inspired by other fic writers who wrote Sakamoto with a sister, and I wanted to delve into that idea. Etsuko is a made up character and does not exist in canon.  
> 2\. Etsuko literally means 'joy child' in Japanese, which I think suits her a lot and felt like the right name to give Sakamoto's sister!  
> 3\. This is the first time I'm writing a proper work of fan fiction, so any form of feedback will be appreciated! <3  
> 4\. Sakamoto may seem a little out of character, that's because I headcanoned that his sister shaped his later self :)  
> 5\. This is the first chapter of idk how many, but there will be sakagin as well!


End file.
